Joseph t



( No mm v ,J. T. THOMPSON.

1 RAKE,

Patented Dec. 10,1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH T. THOMPSON, OF VERONA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EDWARD BARNARD,OFROME, NEW YORK.

RAKE.-

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 416,763, dated December10, 1889. Application filed August 20, 1889. Serial No. 321,346. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH T. THOMPSON,

- a citizen of the United States, residing at the town of Verona, in thecounty of Oneida and State of New York, have invented a new and usefulRake, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rakes; and it has for its object to provide animproved selfcleaning attachment which may be readily applied to thehead of any ordinary hand rake, and which shall be simple inconstrucperspective view of one of the links or clasps by means of whichthe device is secured to the rake-head. Fig. 4: is a perspective viewshowing the head and a portion of the handle of a rake having myimproved self-cleaning attachment.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

My improved selfleaning attachment consists of a strip 1, of met-a1,preferably steel, which may be used in the form of sheet metal ofsuitable thickness. The front edge of the strip 1 is provided with aseries of teeth 2 2, which may be triangular or any other suitableshape. The sides of the said teeth may be ground down, so as to formsharp cuttingedges 3.

The strip 1 is provided with a series of perforations 4 4 to admit theteeth 5 of a rakehead 6 of ordinary construction. The perforations 4should be of a size to permit the rake-teeth to slide freely therein,thus'enupon the teeth of the rake-head.

'7 7 designate a pair of links or. clasps, which are secured to theupper side of the strip 1 by means of bolts or rivet-s 8. Each of thesaid links or clasps is constructed, preferably, of a flat strip ofspring metal bent into 5 5 the shape of an oblong link and havingitsmeeting ends cut off diagonally, as shown at 9 9, so as to formpractically an oblique slot 10 at the upper end of the said link. Two ormore of these links or clasps may be secured to the upper side of thestrip 1 in the manner described, and it will be seen that byturning thesaid links or clasps until the oblique slots 10 are in alignment withthe rake-head, the device may be readily adjusted in position by simplyspringing'the links open to receive the rake-head. The links are thenturned to a position in alignment with each other and with therake-head, thus placing the slots 10 obliquely with relation to thelatter, and thus retaining the device securely in position upon therake-head.

The operation and advantages of my invention will be readily understoodfrom the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawingshereto annexed.

It will be seen that the tendency of the strip 1 is to move in anoutward or downward direction upon the rake-teeth, which are therebykept clearof rubbish. By push- 8o ing the rake in a forward directionthe teeth upon the front edge of the strip 1 will act as cutters to chopor cut weeds and the like. The device is exceedingly simple inconstruction, and it may in a moments time be at-v tached to or removedfrom any hand-rake of ordinary construction.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s

1. A cleaning attachment for hand-rakes, consisting of a strip havingperforations to receive the rake-teeth and provided at its edgewithteeth-cutters, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. 95

2. A self cleaning attachment for handrakes, consisting of a metallicstrip having a front cutting-edge and provided with perforations toadmit the rake-teeth, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with a rake-head, of a 'ertically-slidingcleaning-strip having cute ters at its front edge, substantially as setforth.

at. A cleaning attachment for hand-rakes, consisting of avertically-perforated strip having the obliquely-slotted links or claspsattached to its upper side, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with the verticallyperforated cleaning-strip, of theobliquelyslotted links or clasps secured pivotally to the same by meansof bolts or rivets, substantially as set forth.

6. The herein-described self-cleaning attachment for rakes, consistingof a metallic strip having a series of vertical perforations, providedat its front edge with teeth or cutters, and having theobliquely-slotted links or clasps secured pivotally to the upper side,

- substantially as set forth. 7

'7. The c0mbination,with the cleaning-strip for hand-rakes having aseries of perforations to admit of the rake-teeth, of the spring linksor clasps for securing the same detachably to the rake-head,said linksor clasps being composed of strips of spring metal having diagonalmeeting ends, whereby oblique slots are formed in the upper ends of saidlinks, the latter being secured pivotally to the upper side of thecleaning-strip, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8. The combination, With a hand-rake, of a cleaning-strip havingperforations, whereby it is mounted to slide vertically upon therake-teeth, said cleaning-strip being provided at its front edge withteeth or cutters and having obliquely-slotted spring clasps or linkssecured pivot-ally to its upper side, whereby it may be connecteddetachably with the rake-head, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH T. THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

THOS. A. DEVEREUX, GEO. WV. KNOX.

